I hear your voice
by dreams will come true 999
Summary: Since their early age , elena gilbert and stefan salvatore were the greatest enemies , as they became teenagers elena become the girl no one notices as stefan become the boy everyone knows . Is what they are feeling is really hatered , or is it love is disguise ?
1. Chapter 1

" _elena_ , wake up ! " I heard my mother's voice for the tenth time , she's waking me up for my first day of school . I hate school ! It's full of people pretending to be something they are not and saying things they don't mean . That's why I never really fit in. My name is _elena gilbert_ , I'm a seventeen years old teenager living in _mystic falls_ , a small town in georgia where everybody knows each other since childhood , so there's no way for me to hide anywhere !

I got up finally and it was late , I ran to my closet and picked the first thing I saw . I dressed up as fast as the lightning , I brushed my teeth and tied my hair into a pony tail . It wasn't really how a seventeen years old teenager should wear in her first day in school .

_Caroline forbes_ , my best friend since kindergarden spent a whole week looking for an outfit to charm the whole school . she propably woke up at 5 am to get ready . As a cheerleader , she was one of the most popular girls at school , every boy's dream was to be noticed by her , that's why tyler lockwood , her boyfriend , was considered one of the luckiest guys in our school , maybe the in world . I never understood why is she still befriending me , I mean she is the hottest girl in school , I'm the nerd no one want to talk to , or even notice .

Since my dad , _grayson gilbert_ passed away three years ago my life turned upside down , we were so close to each other spending every moment of our free time together , reading, playing around , walking in the woods which were his favourite place in the whole town . He used to say that he finds peace looking at the trees , the blue clouded sky , feeling the wind touching the skin of his face as if it was caressing him . He used to say that he always felt that he belongs there , as if he had lived a thousand lives in there and he will continue to live a thousand more . when he died , we burried him there , near the ruins of fell's church where he used to sit and read for hours . He was a writer , a brilliant one . he used to find inspiration in the smallest thing : my mother's smile , the rain drops and even the cries of my baby brother_ jeremy._

his death shattered me , it took me by surprise . one minute he was here , the next he wasn't and I suddenly felt so empty and so lost , so I burried myself in books , becoming like a worm . somehow I felt closer to him that way , sharing his passion . sometimes I would even visit his grave and bring a book with me and start reading outloud . Maybe he can hear me , I was never a believer but , sometimes faith is the only thing left for us to be able to carry on .

I finally reach_ mystic falls_ 'one and only high school , it was where my parents studied twenty five years ago , where I study now and most likely where my children will study if I will ever have children . sometimes I feel blessed to be nobody , at least they won't notice my clothes or my messed up hair . and as I was walking in the hallway I found_ bonnie bennett_ , one of the few people that I enjoy their company . She is my best friend for as long as I can remember along with _Caroline_ and _Matt Donavan_ who always considered me as his little sister _ ._

_Bonnie_ wasn't like _Caroline , _sometimes I think they are the opposite of each other , she was calmer , somehow stonger and more mature . she wasn't popular but she wasn't a nobody either . she was simply_ bonnie_ . she didn't need popularity to feel good about herself , but I'm sure if she wanted it , she would have it I mean she was beautiful with hear brown skin and her olive , cat-alike eyes . she looks at me confused , or maybe surprised and then she moves towards me and she says " what the hell happined to you ? ". I knew I didn't look the most beautiful girl today , but I didn't know I look that horrible . " If Caroline ever saw you she will freak out , you look like you were fighting in a war " she continues , she knew that I wasn't intersted in looking pretty , but looking like that , all sweaty wearing a t-shit twice as big as I am and having my hair all messed up is a whole different story . I didn't notice that when I was leaving the house . I was literally running since my mother couldn't drive to school as she was busy . Bonnie drags me to the ladies room and tries to fix what can be fixed . she tried to make my hair as presentable as possible and put some make up on my face to hide how pale I am . At least know I don't look like I just got out of a cave !

As I was leaving of the ladies room followed by_ bonnie_ , I hit a hard strong chest . Oh boy ! it's definitly one of the jocks , the last thing I needed was a problem with a nacissistic , self-centred teenage boy who thinks the world is at his feet just because he knows how to kick a ball . and then I hear a voice saying " watch it gilbert ! " and I recognize the voice immedialy . It's_ stefan salvatore_ , my worst enemy.


	2. Chapter 2

I headed towards my classroom , still annoyed by my brief encounter with stefan salvatore , sometimes I feel that breathing the same air he breaths is some sort of crime so I pray to god we won't be together in the next class , or any class . Bonnie was unnaturaly calm , I guess she sensed the change in my mood . We promised each other to meet at the break and each of us went to attend her class . Luckily , I wasn't late as a expected so I took the first seat and looked around me , there's no one here I know and I wasn't in a mood to make new friends . Few minutes later a young man , maybe in his late twenties , entered the room , he was very handsome I admit , with his sandy hair and witty hazel eyes . He smiled as he introduced himself " Hello , my name is Alaric Saltzman , I'm your new history teacher " and he turned to write his name on the board when I heard the annoying voice that I can recognize anywhere "sorry I'm late" by the time he took the seat behind me I had already cursed the universe for the millionth time for this bad luck , the thing is that history is my favourit subject and apparently I'm not able even to enjoy that anymore.

" you can atleast pretend to care about this class by showing up on time on the beginning of the year Mr ..."

"Salvatore , Stefan Salvatore " he replied with an arrogant tone

"So I guess someone as popular as the school team's quaterback don't have to be on time , right Mr. Salvatore ?"

"What can I say , girls can't resist the bad boy charm " he said curving a cocky smile on his lips and I found myself rolling my eyes when I heard most of the girls giggling

" I guess I won't desagree on that point , but I hope that charm becomes usefull when you find yourself jobless few years later , because I'm sure you extraordinary football skills won't get you to a decent college if you failed this year "

I can feel Stefan shifting uncomfortably in his seat , but he tried to keep his devilish smile and he replied " I will try to be on time from now on "

"Oh don't make promises you can't keep , Mr. Salvatore " said Mr. saltzman

We spent the rest of the hour introducing ouselves , Mr. saltzman insisted to know all his students so that he will be more able to communicate with them , I would be so excited about it if there wasn't this poor excuse for human being annoying me with his snarky remarks and useless comments . at the end Mr Saltzman said " okay so before leaving I would like to announce that this year I've decided to try another method of education , trust me it will so much fun , I would like you to do a project about one of this town's historical events , I know this town has a rich history so you won't have a problem on that matter , I don't want informations from the internet , I want you to do a research , take photoes yourselves , create theories , ask the local people and I promise that if you do some effort I will be very generous however if you try to fool me with some article from wikipedea you will fail in this class "

I can hear the students worried voices , for some of them history is their only hope to pass since it's easier than other subjects

"don't worry you won't have to do it alone , pair yourselves with whoever you want and put your names on this paper , besides if you need any advise I'm always available "

As everyone chose their partners I was lost , I knew no one and for some reason everyone had already someone to work with As we were leaving after hearing the bell ringing , Mr Saltzman stopped me and Stefan , saying " you two are the only ones that don't have partners "

" well it's just everyone is taken" I said again cursing the universe for making me be with stefan in the same room breathing the same air and apparantly doing the same project

" well Mr. Salvatore is available "

"No!" we both shouted at the same moment

"why is there a problem ? " said Mr. Saltzman with an amused look

" No , Yes I mean no , we will work together " I rumbled feeling Stefan's piercing gaze on my back

"very well then , problem solved " when the teacher left I heard Stefan's mocking voice " I guess then I'm failing no matter what I do "

" And what makes you think that ? " i replied trying to sound as calm as I could , but I sounded like I going to jump on him and stab him with the first thing I saw . so I tried to compose myself and call all my inner strength as I said

" Look , I know you and me don't get along"

" that would be the understatement of the year "

" But we both need this , i need the have good grades and you need to pass so let's just do thid together and then i promise I won't even get near you "

" fine , when do we start ? "

" Ok we have plenty of of time since it's for the end of the term so let's start next week , meet me on saturday at the library at 7 pm "

" study date .. " he said chuckling " with you ? " If I can just punch him , just for once " Fuck off " I hissed , not just annoyed this time but raged , like a wild animal

" okay , okay I'll meet you there gilbert " and he left. oh boy! this is going to be a long year !


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the week was so tiring , _I didn't have_ many afterschool activities , I never had . but still , it takes time to get used to not lying on my bed all day watching re-runs of my favourite shows or reading books . I was glancing to my watch for the fifth time , rage eating me from the inside , I agreed to meet Stefan-I-never-show-on-time-Salvatore in the library at 7 , it was 7:30 and I still didn't have the pleasure of seeing his handsome face so I decided that it's enough waiting for this brat to show . I stood up and turned to leave when I hit a stone hard chest , when I lifted my head my eyes locked with two big emerlad eyes

" you just can't resist my embrace don't you " he said with a smirk and I felt like slapping him

" You are half-an hour late , don't you atleast owe me an apologie " I said trying to ignore his attempt to annoy me

"Oh! sorry about that , I almost forgot about our meeting" he replied and his smirk widened. he was clearly trying to make reach my limits , and I won't let him get that , so I summoned all my inner strength and self-control before saying

" fine , now let's get started , have a seat "

After getting comfortable in our seats , he said " okay , now what ? "

"We should choose a historical event that happined in mystic falls , it must be something that needs some digging , something not everybody knows "

" and how to do that ?" he said , already started to get bored and annoyed

" well that's why we came to the library , we should make some effort" I replied " come on let's have a look in books maybe ther's something interesting "

we spent the next two hours digging in books , none of us spoke a word . eventually he closed the book he was reading and whined " this is useless , we've been doing this for hours "

" do you have a better Idea ? " and when he didn't reply I continued " didn't think so "

few minutes later he said "Isn't it late now ? your parents might get worried about you " well that's new , Stefan Salvatore is concerned about my family , how sweet it would be if I didn't know better

"I told my mother I will be late so just keep working please " and surprisingly he did , without any further arguing , it's so not like him .

our "conflict " was for as long as I can remember , sometimes I wonder why are we even bothering to talk to each other , I mean despite everything it became a habit to annoy each other at any given opportunity , after years of this "unique" relationship between us , I think I sometimes enjoy those little fights I have with him whenever our paths crossed . I know it's rediculous but somehow it makes me feel alive , maybe because he does't feel sympathy towards me , maybe because he's doesn't care if he hurt my feelings , maybe because I'm not the sad little girl who lost her father for him . I know it's a very twisted relationship we have , based on mutual hate , but I don't know why we can't end it simply , like grown up people do , is it because we are so immature ?

" looking at something you like " his voice woke me up from my trans and I realized that I was staring at him . he was looking at me with his cocky smirk drawn on his face " I know , I know ,you have every right to . I can't blame you for being attracted to me , I mean If I were you , I'd be attracted to me too " and he started to chuckling at my blushing face expression . I wasn't mad , I was embaressed . I mean he did look so good in his leather jacket and plain blue t-shit underneath it, his sandy hair was messy which was so unlike him but it suited him very well , wait , what am I doing ?

"don't praise yourself , I was lost in my thoughts "I was trying to seem indeferent , and I think it's working

" Oh you surely were , it's normal to find yourself daydreaming about me " and he winked jockingly

I sighed in irritation and rolled my eyes , and before I burry my eyes in some pages again he said " hey listen , I think I found something "

and he passed the book to me " remember those ruins in the woods ? "

" yes I used to play there when i was little , what about them " I was truly clueless what does that have to do with the black and white picture of a beautiful three stories mansion he showed me

" what do you know about them ? "

" well I know it was the old city-center back in the 19th century , and that it was destroyed in the civil war " I repiled matter-factly

" actually that was half of the truth, my father always told me that the Salvatore family were a royality in this town , our ancestors had this very mansion at the edge of the town along with a very large estate , they were wealthy and powerful .But some trajedy happined in the family and it caused destruction , death . blood was shed and the town got destoyed but the Salvatore family covered it up with the civil war story , they didn't want to be dishonored even if their wealth was gone , so they became heroes , martyrs even if they are the ones who caused the mess in the first place . My father said that our family passed the real version of the story generation after generation but I guess some details got lost over the time , but I remember the names of whoever caused this mess, it was stefan and damon salvatore and a girl named katherine pierce "

I watched him as he explained his "discovery" to me , his eyes shinning with passion and excitement which I find weird : I always thought he was the typical jock that cares about nothing except football and girls , so this it was a surprise to find out that he has this side of him . but when he got to the part when he told me the names of the " heroes" of this story I rolled my eyes

"you are such a greart actor you know , for a moment I thought you were serious "

he forrowed his eyebrows in confusion , and I continued " isn't your brother's name damon , and you are stefan salvatore ? so you magically taveled in time to witness this " trajedy" and came back to tell the story " I remember damon , when I was in the third grade , he was the dream of every girl and the prince charming on the white horse, or in his case on the white bike . he chuckled as I said that "Now I get it , no those were the original salvatore brothers , My father was , ehm , quite fond of the story , ok obsessed a bit but he named us after those two incestors , he actually was thrilled when he got two boys so he could name us damon and stefan and I'm sure if he had a girl her name would be katherine "

I noticed the sad look on his face when he mentioned his father and I was struck by the realization

" your father "was""

"yeah , my parents died when I was 12 years old , by a car accident , they drove off the wickery bridge " of course , I remember that year that I didn't see him much , I just thought the universe was doing me a favour , turnes out that he was suffering . I felt a bit guilty about it .after his sudden disappearance he became agressive , bullying almost everyone around him , that year my simple annoyance towards him turned into hate .

"I'm so sorry " I was trying to be polite even if I knew those words do nothing , it can't bring back your loved ones and it can make you miss them any less . He nodded politely and then smiled trying to shake the saddness and grief away , he surely had a magnificant smile , a smile that make the whole room lighten up. no elena focus , the story .

" so are you sure this story is real , not just some sort of , well , family legend ? "

" yes , our family even kept Stefan's journals , they are somewhere in the attic " he seemed so excited about this , maybe because it was something he once shared with his father , like I used to share my passion for books with my dad . I'm not taking away that feeling from him , when you feel that someone who passed away is alive inside of you whenever you do something he or she adored , it's like you're doing it on their behalf .

"so that's our project then" I said and a happiness washed all over his face " we will discover what really happined back then and how was it linked to the salvatores "

" I don't think it will be easy , me and Damon are the only salvatores left and we don't know the whole story " he shook his head saddly

" you said that you had the original stefan's journals ? "

"yeah but the attic is so messy and dusty and honeslty our chances of finding a black chinese with blue eyes is higher that finding those journals "

" let's give it a try , next weekend , saturday afternoon , what do you think ?"

"fine by me , I had nothing to do anyway " and he rapidly looked at his phone " it's 11 pm , do you want me to pick you up ? "

" no , no I'm fine , I'll take a taxi " me , him , at the same car ? no thanks , I'd rather to ride a mountain lion

" I insist , besides ther's no way in hell that you will find a taxi at this time , your father will propably kill me if anything happins to you " I felt slight pain in my heart when he mentioned my father , it still hurts after all this time . " don't worry about that , my father is dead" I said bitterly and I watched his playful smile disappear " I didn't mean to , I'm sorry " he appologized sincerly and I felt guilt washing over his face " it's okay " I replied as I stood up getting ready to leave

" so 2 pm ?" I asked

" I don't mind " he shruged as he closed his leather jacket also getting ready to leave . we walked outside the library together and the streets were empty . I felt a rush of fear and freezing coldness but I tried to stay composed and I started walking forward after waving stefan goodbye . but instead of walking toward his car his followed me

" what do you think yourself doing ?" I asked him , half surprised , half confused

" what do you mean ? " he said innocently , or acting innocently and being very good at it

" your car is that way " and I pointed to his car

" oh I decided to walk home "

" in this weather ?" it was very cold , that I felt numb . It was hard even to breath and I was shaking very hard

" I know right , what a lovely weather "

" I told you I don't want your company " I snapped at him , not angry but I didn't want any favours , and especially from him

" who told you I want yours , look , If you get kidnapped , and killed then who will be my partner in this project . Who will boil the blood in my veins everyday ? I won't be able to find anyone as annoying as you are . besides , your ghost will be hunting me forever , because you hate me so much that you'll keep annoying me even in the afterlife and I can't risk that , so let me walk you home , make sure you're safe and ensure my future " and then I burst into laughter , I laughed so hard that the corners of my lips stared cracking

" fine , as you wish " I said , breathing hard from the cold , so he took off his jacket " take this , you'll get sick " he offered and I was stunned , since when stefan salvatore became a gentleman ?

" no I'm really fine " I tried to sound tough but I was freezing

" oh, don't worry I won't tell anyone that the strong and proud elena gilbert borrowed a jacket from the stupid jock " he sighed and I felt guilty so I took it and crawled inside it . It smelled like lemon and candy and perfum , a really good perfum , oh I wish I keep it around me forever , "no ! elena gilbert what came over you" I thought , as I started rushing so that I could reach my house as soon as possible .

After 20 minutes I was on my house's front porch , handing him his jacket

" thanks for the jacket and for , ehm , the walk "

" you're welcome miss gilbert" and he bowed dramatically " it was a pleasure " somehow that dread I used to feel fo his was gone , he was like me , hurting , an orphan . Yes he still get on my nerves , but it's not that bad , maybe we will get along after all , maybe we aren't such a bad team .


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys for reading this fanfic and for the favs/reviews , I honestly never thought anyone would read it .**

**I appologize for any mistakes in advance and I hope you will enjoy this chapter :)**

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It was a long week , full of homework and restless nights and what made it worse was that I couldn't keep stefan salvatore out of my mind . I was ignoring him whenever he says hi or tries to talk to me about the assignment . Caroline asked me about what happined during that night and whether he did something to upset me as usual and I told her that we made a peace agreement for now , to be able to finish in time and go back to te old ways as soon as possible .

Now it's 1:55 pm and and walking in some fancy neighbourhood looking for house number 14 . the day was surprisingly warm and I felt the sun burning my skin . when I finally reached there I was infront of a huge house , it was a bit old-fashioned but luxurious . I knocked the door , feeling nervous and a bit worried that this was the wrong house . After few seconds the door was open , and a young man appeared . he was in his early twenties , deadly gorgeous with his piercing baby-blue eyes and his black hair , I was going to apologize and say that I got the wrong adress when he smirked and said "you must be the lovely elena , come in . I'm Damon , stefan's brother"

he let me in the house , which was by the way breathtaking . It was like those europien old palaces full of antiques and expensive paitings and fancy furniture and I wondered whether the Salvatore brothers feel lonely in this huge house all by themselves . " excuse me for a second I will go upstairs and call stefan " he said with a polite smile and I nodded . when he disappeared I found myself looking to the family photos hung on the wall , and I understood why the two brothers looked so different . Damon looked like his mother , she was beautiful with curly black hair and blue eyes shining with happiness and motherly love when she looked at her boys in the pictures . Stefan however looked like his father , who had also green eyes but with a diffrent shade and the same light brown hair with stains of gold . I heard footsteps after few minutes , and this time Damon was followed by stefan who's hair was messy , he was either having a nap or just woke up .

" alright then I will leave you two to work in peace , Stefan I will go visit Rebekah I'll be back late so please don't skrew anything up "

" don't worry Damon , have fun "

Stefan watched damon leave and then a goofy smile appeared on his face

" Our second study date then " and he winked

" not in your wildest dreams Salvatore " I teased " So let's get started shall we ? "

" we shall" he said as he lead the way to the stairs " I 'm going to warn you gilbert , if you get scared of spiders or any kind of insects you might want to back off "

"oh don't worry Salvatore , I can handle some insects "

" then I guess the mice won't bother you " and then I stopped . my voice was shaking when I said " mice , you have mice in your attic , no no no there's no way in hell I'm going there "

" oh come on the strong and brave elena gilbert gets scared of some tiny poor mice , coward "

" I'm not a coward " I said defensivly " it just that they are so dirty and digusting and they have those long thin tails "

"come on I'm just joking , i didn't go to the attic in years so I don't know what will be there "he said rolling his eyes

when we reached the second floor we walked in a long corridor , this house had surely many rooms . eventually we were in front of a narrow staircase , we went up and then we found ourselves in the attic

It was full of old furniture ,Boxs and games , all covered in dust . it was big and full and I suddenly felt lost . Stefan was right , there's no way that we could find anything in this mess even if we looked until the next century .

" hey gilbert , you look like you have seen a ghost " he joked

" I didn't imagine that your attic will be as big as my entire house , how will we find the journals ?"

" I would like to say I told you so but I know it will be useless so I suggest that we start looking "

each of us pulled one box and opened it , stefan said that the journals will propably be covered in brown leather but he didn't know how many journals are there and whether his family saved them all .

We spent hours looking everywhere , our eyes teary because of the dust , and it was quite useless . this attic held alot of memories , we found stefan's first bike , old pictures of his family including his great grand parents and I wondered how many generations of the Salvatores have lived in this house . what broke my heart was Stefan's look when we found his mother's wedding dress in one of the boxes , he was trying so hard to contain himself and I realized how hard it was for him to be here . He remained silent for a while before saying "it's five , you must be tired , come on let's take some rest downstairs . Jenna , our maid made some cookies if you're hungry "

"mmm cookies , my favourite " I said imagining the sweet taste in my mouth , honestly , even poison would taste heavinly at that moment , I was starving

" wait a second " I said and he looked confused " how can I be sure that you didn't poison them " I joked and he smiled , not that half smile that he had when he was trying to be hot but a genuine innocent smile and he shrugged " well you can't " and his led the way to the kitchen .

i've never ate that much in my life , he offred me some lemonade and I accepted . It was the first time in my life that I didn't care about my manners infront of a stranger , somehow I felt like he wasn't a stranger , like I've known his since forever . I realized that he was gazing at me and I felt food stuck in my throat

" what are looking at ? " I asked pretending to be angry

" just trying to figure out what kind of creature are you "

" what do you mean" I mumbled since my mouth was full of food

" girl you just stuffed three cookies all at once into your mouth , you are not human " his eyes widened in fake horror " please don't eat me " I rolled my eyes , and said " oh don't worry , you taste bad anyway "

" well most of girls I knew would disagree with you " and he winked . I looked at him confused and that I realized what he was referring to

" ew, ew ew ew ew , mate I'm eating ,ew I'm going to barf " and I stood up running to the sink . He was laughing so hard that he almost fell of his chair

" what are you laughing at " I yelled at his and his voice was dicontinued when he said trying to control his laughter " sorry , your reaction seemed like you are a small innocent virgin "

my eyes dropped on the floor and I blushed , he stopped laughing and his facial expression changed " wait , don't tell me you are virgin" and when I didn't reply he was literally on the floor holding his stomach , after a few minutes of pure embarrassment he stopped laughing " sorry , I don't know what came over me " and he chuckled " anyways if you want to change that I'm at your service "

" Oh shut up salvatore , I wouldn't do it with you even if you were the last man on earth and the future of human race was depending on us "

" Whatever , I was just trying to help " he shrugged and then I felt not only embarrassed but also mesirable

"can we get back to work now " I said trying to avoid any eye contact with him

we went back to the attic and during the next hour neither of us said anything and I was grateful for that . The truth is that I've never been in a relationship before .I was always the nerd and the only guy I knew that wasn't a member of my family was matt , and honestly both of us never considered the possibility of being in a relation. besides he was having a crush on this new girl , Nadia petrova whose family moved to this town a year ago .

" Hey elena , listen , I'm so sorry about what I said earlier it was completely rude " he was honest and I can see it in his big emerlad eyes so I just shrugged to shake the anger and embarrassement and I said " apologie accepted Salvatore "

we kept looking and it seemed that will never , ever find those damned journals and I started to get tired and my back started to ache .

I was about to give up when stefan suddenly yelled in excitement " I found it ! "


	5. Chapter 5

**so here's another chapter , it's a bit long .I'm sorry that stefan and elena's love story is a bit slow , but people don't simply go from hate to love so fast . please feel free to leave your opinion and review and enjoy . I appologize in advance for any mistakes **

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Stefan was holding an old notebook covered in brown leather and waving it in triumph , excitment evident in his eyes and I felt my heart pumping with joy . we letteraly flew to the living room , jumped on the fancy sofa infront of the huge fire place . We decided that stefan should read it since it belons to his family and he opened it -slowly and carfully and started reading the words written with black ink , his voice sounding like a melody to my ears :

_April 17th 1864_

_Dear journals _

_this is my first attempt to write in a __journal so I don't know what to start with . I feel comfused and lonely ever since Damon -my older brother -left the house to join his camrade to fight in the civil war , he is my best friend or should I say my only one . He and my mother were my entire world and the only people I trusted to open up to and to ask guidness. My mother passed away last year after struggling with a deadly disease and ever since the veritas estate that once shone with happiness and love is now crippeled in grief and sadness .My father who was the voice of wisdom in our family is drowning himself in alcohool , sometimes he does foolish things that makes me ashamed to be his son .last night , I heard him flirting with one of our maids infront of my room and I'm sure it wasn't the first time .I was avoiding him all the time and I'm sure Damon joined the union -one month ago- just to run away . I haven't spoke to anyone since Damon left , I would just read or do some walks in the woods to clear my head . My futur is unknown , I don't know what I want from life or how my life will be in the future but I know for sure that my life right now is surely not what I want it to be. sometimes I envy Damon , he is so wild and rebellious , always driven by his emotions. He is impulsive and that always got him in trouble but somehow he always managed to cheat death and escape . I wish that I become like him , a free spirit , a fighter . I'm now waiting for Damon's first letter , he promised me to write to me whenever he gets the chance and I'm worried about him , always imagining the worst possibilities like , what if he got shot or severly injured , what if he is dying or worse :dead . _

_This morning , my father called me to have breakfast with him and I couldn't refuse . He was surprisingly sober and even a little cheerful which was an unusual sight for me . he annouced we will be expecting visitors next week : a young lady named katherine pierce and her maid . apparently her parents died two years ago and ever since she was living with her uncle in Newyork , she wanted to spend the summer in the countryside where the air is fresh and the sceney is beautiful so my father who was a friend of her family was kind enough to invite her to our estate . He said that he met her uncle when he was in a business trip and they agreed that she will spend six months with us . He asked me to welcome miss pierce and show her the house and I could see the pleased look on cordilla's face : she was worried about me all closed up in my room and this was propably the perfect oppertunity to make a friend . I don't deny that I myself was excited about those news , I have a feeling that miss pierce will be the most intersting thing I'll be seeing in a while ._

* * *

"waw , this guy is a bigger nerd than you are " said stefan trying to supress a chuckle

" yes indeed " I said and we both laughing

" do you want to bet that he is just so ugly that no one wants to go near him "

"I bet his brother wanted to run away from him"

" what time is it " I asked him

" seven-thirty , do you want to read the next page or is it late for you "

" its okay let's read what's written next , I want to know what will happin with this mysterious miss pierce "

" already attached to the story aren't you ?"

"if you aren't as well than you should check yourself "

" okay a little I admit , it's your turn , you read "

He handed me the journals and I stared a bit to the beautiful handwriting than I started reading :

_April 18th 1864_

_dear journals_

_today was really beautifull , the sun that was hidden behind the clouds for weeks is shinning upon the wonderfully green estate . I was standing in the huge porch of the Salvatore mansion wearing the best clothes I have, waiting for miss pierce arrival . I was so nervous and my whole body was shaking , I must really looked like a lost animal because i heard cordilla chuckling behind my back . after a few minutes of waiting I saw the carriage and suddenly my heart was pumping so fast and I felt that it was going to jump out of my chest , but I tried to compose myself and to look like a decent gentleman . The door of the carriage was opened and a young black woman stepped outside , she must be the maid because she was wearing a simple white dress and a small hat although she had a gracious posture that made her look like a queen . she offered her hand to help the young lady wearing a blue dress to step outside the carriage as well and when she raised __her face to meet mine , I stopped breathing ._

_she isn't human , she must be an angel , that's what I told myself as I moved forward to greet her . I bowed and I kissed her delicate hand covered with a snow white gloves as she courtised . then she smiled and said " you must be Mr Salvatore , it's a pleasure to meet you , this is emily ,she is my friend and my companion " her voice sent shiveres to my body and I tried to sound inaffected by her beauty " the pleasure is all mine miss pierce , please come in , let me show you the house " and I led her through the wooden door and showed my father's precious collection of paintings and statues but all I can think about was shaking any thought of her out of my head , "she's my guest and I have to be appropriate ", that's what I kept repeating to myself but I was craving for a touch from her tanned skin . Finally I showed her her room and when I was leaving she asked " I'll see you at dinner then Mr Salvatore"_

_"please call me stefan " I replied and she smiled and said nothing .when I left her room I mentally slapped myself for being so reckless . My brother would have charmed her with his damonish methods , he is so good with women and everytime we went to balls or dances he would have a crowd of young ladies surrending him to listen to his heroic stories , each of them are craving to be noticed by his peircing blue eyes .As for me , I can't even say two coherent sentences to a woman and my brother would always laugh at my shyness and would say" I simply don't understand brother , you have good looks , you have wealth , you are reading those sheaksperean books all day long and then you can't even get a small talk with one single lady " so to escort miss pierce to her room without looking like a fool is perhaps one of my greatest achievments . I spent the whole day trying to get miss pierce out of my head but is was pointless so I eventually stopped . Time passed very slowly as if it was mocking my impatience to meet her , I wanted to know more about her -this lovely stranger that will spent the next six months in my house -to see her beautiful smile , to hear her angelic voice ._

_Finally I heard someone knocking my room's door , it was cordilla calling me for dinner and asking me to go to miss pierce's room escort her to the dinning room . I knew cordilla could've done the task by herself but there was clearly a hidden agenda behind the devilish smile she was trying to suppress so I just fixed my sandy brown hair and examined the dark circles under my eyes that made their dark green look even darker , I went to her room shaking like an autumn leave not knowing even what to say or how to act , I bet she was mocking the shy country boy with her maid and I don't blame her , I'm a joke . I gently knocked the door and called her " Miss pierce , it's dinner time " . Emily opened the door and then I saw her , wearing a strapless pink dress that fitted her curvy body perfectly . Her brown curly hair was lifted to show a thin long neck . she smelled like lemon and ginger and looked like a rose in the middle of spring . she was smiling and for a moment I forgot who I was and what I was doing , but then I summouned my strength and smiled to her as well " Miss pierce , may I escort to to the dinning room "_

_ "oh please call me katherine " , oh my , she was gorgeous , like the full moon and midsummer dreams and a child's laughter . We went to the dinning room and and we found my father there who welcomed miss pierce so cheerfully and warmly that I wondered if my father was possessed . I bet damon will be laughing so hard at this sight if he was here . he and my father never got along , and my mother's death made it worse , sometimes my drunk father would start beating him for the silliest reason . sometimes damon would throw himself between me and my father to protect me from him and now I'm only grateful that he is away doing something he believes in rather than trying to please this cruel father who cannot be pleased no matter what I do . I know it's a matter of time before everything goes down hill and my father does something shamefull to disgrace our family and to displease miss pierce so I was enjoying every moment of this act while it lasted. I was gratefull that the dinner went well , my father entretained miss pierce with stories about her father and their youth together and they both shared laughter and sad moments .After dinner I asked her if she wanted to do a walk in the garden and she accepted . _

_We walked for a while in silence and we were both staring at the stars and then I knew I had to say something so I started " I hope you like your room miss pierce " , she smiled and said " I thought we agreed that we will call each other by our first names " " very well then, katherine " her name was so sweet that I wanted to keep repeating it over and over but then I would sound like someone with a mental desorder so I stopped myself_

_"It was very generous of your father to host me in his mansion , can you thank him on my behalf " and I laughed internally but I tried to sound serious as I said " I will " , we walked in silence for a few moments before she broke off " so stefan , tell me more about the family that I will spend the next 6 months with " suddenly ,_ _I was lost , what would I tell her about my family , to be honest I'm ashamed to be a member of it , everyone in town though that we are the perfect family because we were very good at keeping our secrets hidden so I chose to tell her what everybody knows " Well you already met my father giuseppe , he is italian and he came to mystic falls with his family when he was a child and settled here ever since , that's why he had this weird italian accent " she smiled as she commented " well I find it lovely " and we both chuckeled , it was rather funny than lovely , my father's accent .after a moment I continued " my mather was frensh , she passed away last year " , she looked at me with sympathy and said " I sorry " _

_this girl I sear to god , she lost both of her parents and she is feeling sympathy towards me , so I continued " it's fine " "well I'm sure she was a great lady since she raised such a true gentleman " I blushed with the compliment but I tried to sound inaffected and I tried to change the subject " I have an older brother , damon , he is fighting with the union in the civil war " she grinned politely and said " I can't wait to meet him " we kept walking on the fresh grass enjoying enjoying the night's air , we talked about her life in Newyork , her parents , her hobbies and dreams . She was the most intresting person I have ever met .she was a revolution , she believed in peace in the world and equality between men and women and between aristocrates and slaves , she was thinking big and about things girls in her age never bothered with . It was a pleasure to talk to her and discuss things . and for the first time in a while , I felt like myself , I felt home ._

* * *

"waw "

"waw , It's very weird to hear your ancestor talking about his first crush " said stefan within a chuckle

"at least he wasn't ugly like we thought " and I laughed

"of course he isn't or else where did I get my good looks "

I rolled my eyes at hid big ego and commented

" well you didn't get his brains , unfortunately "

" you mean the fact that he is a book worm , no thanx ,do you want me to be a virgin at the age of seventeen " and he winked

" so tell me salvatore , honestly , do you want to be murdered by a knief or a gun "

" easy girl , I'm joking , but you don't know what you're missing "

" oh don't start , what time is it "

" eight , do you want me to give you a ride"

" yes please , I'm so tired "

"alright then grap your jacket and follow me "

In 15 minutes we were infront of my house , sitting in his red porsch

"goodnight Salvatore " and I was leaving when he grapped my hand and said

"hey gilbert , I know you and I aren't the best friends in the world , but you don't have to ignore me and we don't have to be enemies "

I smiled as I said

" okay "

"goodnight , gilbert , and don't dream much about me " and he winked

" get over yourself Salvatore , see you at school "I said as I closed the door , smiling to myself

this Salvatore boy isn't that bad after all , I might even enjoy being with him .


	6. Chapter 6

**so this is another chapter , sorry it's long but I hope you enjoy it , I appologize for my shitty writing but it gives me life so please be patient with me **

* * *

"so you spent the whole afternoon together , alone , in his house "

"yes caroline we did "

"How come then that you are still alive , I tough you two would fight each other to death"

It was a long day , partly because it was monday and I hate mondays and also because I couldn't keep stefan salvatore out of my thoughts .Caroline invited me to have a cup of coffee at the grill , the one and only place in which we can hang out in mystic falls,I couldn't say no since I didn't have better things to do and I needed some distraction but obviously we are going to talk about stefan now.

" Caroline , stefan and I may hate each other with the passion of a burning sun , but we both know that it won't worth a lifetime in jail " I said sarcastically

" so what did you do ? " she asked with fake curiosity , I know she was desperate to talk about boys and boyfriends with me , but the only conversation I could offer was about school or series and books

" well we kept looking for his ancestor's journals in the attic most of the time , and then we started reading it together and then he picked me home "

" well that didn't sound like someone who hates you with the 'passion of a burning sun' " she commented with a knowing look

"well he is not as bad as I thought but he is still annoying and a jerk "

"a jerk , waw gilbert that kinda hurt my feelings" I turned to the source of this arrogant voice so violently that I felt dizzy for a second , and then I was facing HIM

"didn't you learn not to spy on other people conversations salvatore boy " answered caroline , noticing how uncomfortable I was

"and you two my ladies should learn not to talk behind other people's backs " he replied with a smirk and I felt a rush of pure embarrassment so strong that I wished the earth would swollow me whole

"so what do you want salvatore ? " I finally spoke after a moment of awkward silence

" well I just missed your snarky remarks and your ability to annoy me at any given chance gilbert "he said sarcastically and I saw caroline rolling her eyes so hard that I thought they might pump out of her head

" stefan if you need something say it or go away " I said , I was tired and so not ready for an exchange with him and he obviously understood because he simply shrugged and replied " I was going to ask you about the history homework , you didn't tell me where and when we will meet "

"oh , I forgot about that " I was so calm and composed on the outside but on the inside I was cursing myself for the billionth time

"you want to come to my house tomorow after school ?"I suggested

" ok then I'll meet you in the parking lot after school"

"yeah sure " and after a moment of pure awkwardness he left .

I felt almost guilty for what I said about him but I shook the feeling and continued to talk with caroline who to my surprise didn't comment ,as if nothing happined

at 4:15 I was in the parking lot waiting for stefan .bonnie asked me to help her chose a dress for the founder's day party two weeks later , but I had to refuse which kind of made me feel sad and a bit guilty . I never went to social events since my father died and I had no regrets , since the only thing I would do is awkwardly sit in a corner while everybody are busy with their dates . in the previous night I made my mother clean the whole house because stefan is paying a visit , not that I really care about what he thinks but the last thing I needed was to give him something new to hold against me . finally he appeared , looking all handsome and dressed up like always , no wonder all girls start litterly drooling every time they see him .

-"hey gilbert girl , ready for our third date !" and he wiked jokingly

-"did you bring the journals with you ?" I said trying to suppress a smile , damn he has that ability to make me smile even if I want to sound annoyed by his presence

-"sure , it's in my bag , shall we go now "

-"okay"

when we reached my house we went to my room which was cleaned for the first time in weeks , I noticed he was slightly nervous but he was trying to seem casual , well to be honest I was nervous too since this was the first time a boy got in my room aside from jeremy .we sat on the bed and he took the journals out of the bag

-"your room is beautiful gilbert , I'm impressed " he said

-"uhhh thanks I guess " I mumbled "so let's get started , we are still far behind"

-" alright , I read few pages last night and I found nothing so I'm going to skip few pages "

and he started reading :

_3 june 1864_

_dear journals ,_

_I've never been so close to happiness in my life , being around miss pierce was a real joy . she became the sun to my world and the light in the darkness surrounding me . Almost two months passed by in the blink of an eye , we spent them together , inseparable . We take lessons together , read books , we usualy walk in the woods or climb the hill to watch sun set .she came to me in a time I needed someone and I think I'm falling for her .she is the missing piece in my life and now that I found her everything is complete ._

_this morning I woke up before the sun rise , the weather was too hot for me to stay in bed so I showered and got dressed and I decided to go on a walk in the woods .as I went downstairs I found katherine , dressed as well and looking beautifully gorgeous as usual .I smiled to her as I walked the few last steps of the stairs _

_"going somewhere miss pierce ?"_

_she smiled as well and replied " I was hoping to watch the sun rise from the top of the hill Mr Salvatore , would you like to join me ?"_

_"yes sure miss pierce , it will be a pleasure "_

_we usually called each other with our last names at the house , for people would have suspisions if we called each other by our first names , not that there are anything between katherine and me , but people in this town don't believe in friendship between a girl and boy , to them there's always something more , even if there isn't ._

_we walked silently in the woods ,enjoying the night's cool fresh air , it was still a dark although the sky began to become slightly purple . katherine and I were moving side by side in a comfortable silence , we get a lot of those when each of us is too absorbed by his thoughts . I helped her climb the rocks which was hard for her because of her rediculously big dress . sometimes I wonder why does women enjoy toturing themselves with uncomfortable clothing and complicated hair dressing , why would someone give up on his comfort to be pleasant for other people's eyes . when we finally reached there we sat on the huge rock which was our private spot , katherine and I discovered this place on one of our walks and we came here often. it was a high place facing the very wide forest , an endless horizon of green trees and a golden light rising behind it .we remained silent while watching this magnificent view , the sun rise has never failed to charm me and I felt a surge of warmth and happiness . _

_"I never saw something this beautiful " her voice brought me back to reality and I looked at her , as the sun light shone all over her face .she was so beautiful , divine ._

_"neither did I " I said fixing my gaze on her , she didn't notice . she was too mesmerized that she probably forgot my existence , but it didn't bother me . _I just want to _stay like this forever , me and her and beauty surrending us ._

_"you are staring at me stefan " she said jokingly , but I was not in this world anymore , I wasn't myself anymore . _

_" I love you " I said to her , catching her out of guard . her laugh disappeared and her face became expressionless and we kept staring at each other for some time before she broke into laughter_

_"you almost fooled me stefan , you are a brilliant actor " _

_and then she kept laughing , and laughing and then when she noticed I wasn't laughing with her , she knew the situation was serious and her expression changed for something I couldn't recognize , maybe sympathy ?sadness ?guilt ? I didn't know _

_"stefan you can't being love with me stefan , this isn't right , I'm going to be back home in few months and you'll be here "she said with a warm voice as if she was a mother talking to her young child , and then everything sunk . I was rejected . I was rejected and I'll have to hear all the excuses that will explain why my love for her isn't right , the excuses that I don't believe and I don't give a damn about ._

_we kept silent for a while , uncomfortably silent and I cursed myself for an infinity of times for being so reckless . No wonder I never was in an intimate relation with a woman _

_We got back to the mansion an hour later , or what seemed to me like an hour , and what felt like eternity . I was trying to contain my feeling inside of me , hurt , anger , heartbreak , disapointment . none of us spoke a word until we reached the huge door and then I heared her angelic voice calling me _

_" stefan , wait.." she looked hesitant , maybe nervous and I realized -to my horror - that she might ask me not to talk to each other again but she took a deep breath and started " stefan you are a good boy , yes you are shy and always living in your inner world inside your head , you are so diffrent from everybody I know and you have this weird perspective of the world "__ this didn't start well and I thought to myself " this is the end , she is going to end everything now " but what came next was , how can I describe it , a chock ? __"__ but also I've spent with you the most wonderful time in my life , you were a true gentleman and you were patient with me dedicating all your time to be my companion , so , _I will give you a chance to prove your love to me , stefan .you see ? love is a very strong word and you have to prove that you are honest with me if you want me to open my heart to you " I didn't expect this to be honest , I expected scolding , yelling , silent treatment , I expected her to talk to my father about what I said hell I even expected her to take a rock and chase me like a wild animal but this , to say I was surprised would be an understatement . as she said that she walked to her room with a devilish smile all over her face , leaving me stunned and most of all lost , what would I do so I can win her heart .

* * *

I's six pm now and stefan and I were taking a break . we could've skipped few pages but now it became more than a homework . it was a person's life , thoughts , desires , a person's experience in life . I wish I could meet this stefan guy , he seemed like a very nice and sensitive guy and I wonder how come that junior stefan is a descendant from that guy . my mother brought some cake and drinks in the room and stefan and I were more like in an eating competetion

"these are really good " said stefan stuffing the food inside of his mouth

"leave some for me jackass "I yelled pushing his hands out of the plate , it was hilarious and we both broke into laughter , laughing and choking at the same time .

"Don't you want to keep your body sculpted and all for your precious girlfriend " I said in a desperate attempt to save the last piece in the plate

" Don't you want to keep your body curved and all for your future boyfriend " he immitated me so perfectly and we broke into laughter again

in the end we agreed on sharing it , and while we were enjoying the taste slowly since it was the last he said

"I don't have a girlfriend by the way gilbert"

"of course you don't salvatore , why take one rose while you can have the whole garden " I mean who would reject him , he was good looking , rich and an athlete although he was a jerk , but most of girls in our school doesn't really care about that

"you are having all the wrong impressions about me don't you ? " he said in a serious tone , but he released a small laugh to make it look as if he was joking

"why am I wrong ? it's well known all over school" it was true he has quite a reputation on that matter

"well yes , sometimes I did some wrong choices like that time I slept with suzan after the homecoming party "

" ew " I interrupted

" oh sorry , I forgot you are a prude , what I was trying to say is that I'm no saint but I'm not a ladies man too , I'm just a normal boy with a normal sexual appetite . it's not like I sleep with any girl I see "

" then why does everyone talks about you that way "

he released a small laugh as he played with my hair and in that moment he reminded me of my dad who used to do it all the time , so I pushed his hand .

" you are very innocent and inexperienced gilbert , you have to leave this imaginary castle you built for yourself and try to understand a few things in life and lesson 1 is : never believe everything you hear "

"and why is that smart ass , Mr so experienced and not-innocent " I said rolling my eyes

" well , see in my position as a quaterback in the local team and as someone popular at school in general , some people see me as a threat , some others are jealous so they try to destroy by ruining my reputation , at first I used to defend myself with force but now I just leave them be , haters are gonna hate " he smiled sadly and I wanted to change the topic so I just said cheerfully

" well at least you have your friends right , you don't need to listen to what people say "

he let out a small humourless laugh that sounded like a cry of pain , it was heart shattering and he said

"there comes lesson 2 : there's no such a thing called a friend "

there was a moment of silence , both of us was deep into his thoughts ."why did he think that way? "I thought , "why does he has this dark pessimist attitude" . there's such a thing called a friend , that person that holds you when you need to be held , the one who shares you sadness and your laughter , that sticks by your side when family leaves and lovers are no where to be found .

"you are wrong stefan , friends do exist , you might not see it but there are people who care for you . you just have to see that "

he looked into my eyes , his eyes were deep green holding sadness and loneliness , his eyes were a mirror of his old and tired soul . you can hear is internal screams through them and the words he never spoke and then I understood , then I heard what he wanted to say .

" that's not me elena , that's you . you surround yourself with people who cares about you : your mother , your brother , your friends .they will always be there for you . I don't have that luxurity , I might speak with everybody at school but I don't have someone close to me , I don't have that special person to hang out with or have deep conversation . my brother is the only one left for me . but he hates me and I can understand why , why wouldn't he ? I was always holding him back , he had to become my guardian when he was 19 years old and take care of me instead having fun with his friends ."he said rising his voice , I could tell that he comsumed by the moment and he wanted to let it out , then he realizied what he said and he lowered his gaze .he was staring at the floor for few moments , I could tell that he regretted saying that , to show me his worries and weakness and what he said next confirmed my thoughts

"hey gilbert , uhmmm I 'm sorry for what I said... I ..."god he was embarrassed

"stefan you don't need to explain , if you don't have anyone to talk to I'm here " what the hell am I doing , we weren't supposed to be enemies , we were supposed to annoy each other and throw things and fight whenever we had a chance " I will be your friend , if you want to " I offered giving him a friendly smile

"the virgin mary is having pity on the poor lonely guy , what a match " he joked and I felt relieved that the despreate expression left his face

" hey who are you calling virgin mary casanova " I joked back

"you knwo , they say that we can have sex after the third date " and he winked , I threw the pillow at him and he laughed

" hey gilbert , I truly appreciate it , your offer I mean , I would love to be your friend . you are not so bad after all "

"you are not bad yourself salvatore "

" yeah , so I thought maybe we can begin to dicover is new friendship thing , I would like to escort you to the founder's day party miss gilbert " and he slightly bowed to sound like one of the 19th century gentelmen

" I don't know stefan , I haven't gone since ... my dad's..."

" elena , you won't be sad forever " he said warmly catching my hand and I blushed ,then he kept staring at me with his adorable face and wide green eyes

"alright alright I will go " how can I say no to that

"do you want me to pick you up ?" he asked

"no I will meet you there , I will go with bonnie since she doesn't have a date "

"alright then I'll go with damon " and then he looked at his watch

"ow it's 8 pm , I have to go "

I showed him the way to the front door , and befor leaving he said

"it's was realy fun being around you miss gilbert , I look forward to see you around "

"me too salvatore boy , see you tomorow "

"see you " and he left , leaving a wonderful smell and a picture of his smile carved in my memory .

* * *

**I wanted to introduce bamon in this chapter but I guess I'll leave it to the next chapter , I will write from bonnie and damon's POV and there will be of course stelena , I will write from stefan's POV to know what is his true feelings about elena , please review so that I know what you think about this **


	7. Chapter 7

**damon's pov**

I hate parties , I really do . and especially when I have to attend them with my brother stefan .

I'm stuck with him ever since my parents died . I had too many responsiblities towards him becoming the only parental figure for this teenage boy . ever since he woke up from the coma after he magically survived the accident that killed our parents I had to take care of him , I was and still am his legal guardian and that wasn't an easy task at all .

Don't get me wrong , I love my brother . after all he is the only family left for me and I'm the only family left for him . we are alone in the world and we have only each other, but , he was a walking talking reminder of the tragedy that struck our family and I was never able to get over the fact that he was with them when they died . No matter how much I tried to be the good and supportive brother our relation was never the same . I miss that time when we were best friends , talking about everything and having most of our time bonding , but now that was all in the past .

I was standing infront of the mirrior fixing my tie , I was wearing a black suit I picked randomly from my closet and I tried to comb my messy hair but it was hopeless . I honesly didn't want to go to the founder's day party that night , I didn't have a date to escort her so i'll have to spend the night with a gang of old single and rich people talking about their fortune and their estates .

I steped out of my room and and I found stefan running in the living room like crazy

"my shoes , where are my shoes , damoooon did you see my shoes " I sighed as looked under the couch which is the first place that comes to my mind whenever stefan losts something

"Stefaaan how many times did I tell you , don't leave your damn things in the living room . GOD , you're not a child anymore " it was a habbit for him to throw his things all over the place , but what can you expect from a seventeen years old teenager .

" OH my god Damon thank you , I really don't know what to do without you " and he took the damn shoes and ran to his room . This boy I swear to god , he will drive me crazy one day .I looked to the antique clock in the corner that belonged to some great grandfather , it was almost nine .

"Stefaaan come on we're going to be late " I yelled as I looked for my car keys

"one minute damon , I have to fix my hair " He replied . great , now I'm going to wait another hour until my brother finishs with his hair . he has this obssession with it , he spends at least half an hour every morning in the bathroom puting god-knows what on his hair . after ten minutes-to my surprise-he finally appeared

"oh well that didn't take so long " I commented and he rolled his eyes , as usual . typical stefan

" can we skip this part and get going now "

"yes please "

we got in the car ,I was in the driving seat as usual and stefan was next to me .

"this is your second-no-date-founder's party Damon , you lost your touch or what "and he hit me lightly on my shoulder , I smiled as I started driving

"what about you prince charming , shouldn't you be holding flowers and heading to your girlfriend's house to pick her up "

"Nah , it's not my thing " I laughed at his comment and I decided to tease him " is this you being bitter that no one wants to date your lazy ass "

"No this is me having better things to do other than wasting my time on a girl " I'll never actually understand why he has this strange attitude towards relationships

" steffffffan" I suddenly said rising my voice "are you gay"

"no damon I'm not gay , but if I ever became I'll let you know " he was annoyed and I tried to supress my chuckle , I turned the radio on only to find some rock song I didn't recognize , but I liked it and apparently so did stefan . we always had the same taste in music , that's why we get along well on the road .

after 20 minutes we were at the lockwoods mansion , it was more like a royal palace with his kilometers wide garden and the perfectly stunning lake that shone with the full moon's silver light . the mansion itself was 200 years old and having all the belonings of the founding families including the salvatores .

The mansion , was already full of people , the older ones were chatting while they were holding the champagne glasses with prestige and elegance .the youngers were dancing on rythme of some horrible music . I watched stefan as he waved to a brunnette standing next to a girl I didn't recognize , as they both stepped closer I recognized one of them , it was elena gilbert , the one who came to the baording house to study with stefan , to be honest she did look good , with her curly brown hair that made her face look more mature and sexy than the last time I saw her when her hair was straight . she wore a black strapless dress that sticked to her body to show its perfect curves . I would look at her forever if my eyes didn't catch the girl standing next to her , if elena was an angel , that girl was a godess . she wearing dark red dress that fitted perfectly her dark skin , her hair was lifted to show a long slim neck shinning under the lights of the huge hall . she didn't have much make up on her face but her green cat-alike eyes were more charming and hypnotzing than anyone on the room , this girl was unique .

"well salvatore boy you aren't late at all " elena was clearly adressing to stefan , and she was fuming with anger that I felt scared for a moment , but stefan's cold reply made really surprised

"hello to you too gilbert , waw you really changed 180 degrees . I always knew that you might actually look nice if you did some make up " he said smirking and I noticed how uncomfortable the two girls looked

"stefan , that not a way to talk to a girl " this is the billonth time stefan embarrasses me infront of other people , sometimes I think it's his purpose in life .

"I really appologize for my brother's lack of manners , i'm damon , stefan 's brother . I met you the other day remember ? "

"of course I do , this is bonnie , my friend " she said cheerfully as she introduced the girl next to her , bonnie huh . that's a cute name .

" hello bonnie , nice to meet you "

"nice to meet you too damon " she replied with a warm smile

**bonnie's POV**

when elena called me to tell me she is going to the founder's day party with me , it was a pleasant surprise . I hated to be alone . we spent a crazy week looking for a dress for elena .and we spent an afternoon begging caroline to do our hair and make up since she was an artist when it comes to that field . she said yes eventually and she did quite well , she made elena who usually was that girly cute girl into an exquisite young woman who would charm anyone , and from what I heard , I looked good too .

elena told me that she would meet stefan in the party which was a surprise for me , she made it clear that they are attending it as friends but I though the two of them were mortal enemies so I'm hoping the night would pass without any fighting . elena told me about stefan's brother damon , she said that he was extremely handsome and I tought she might be exaggarating , but I knew she wasn't when the blue eyed young man appeared with stefan .

the moment I saw him I held my breath , he was deadly gorgeous . I tried compose myself while he greeted me , I didn't want to look like those girls desperate for attention , with a face like that he must have met thounsands of them .

"excuse me and my brother while we go and grap a drink " it was obvious that he was trying to look polite and a gentleman on our presence but he was boiling on the inside , if I were stefan I would prepare myself for what will come next . as they left I turned to elena who looked at me with an appologic look

"you didn't tell me that the older salvatore is so freaking hot " I said , yeah I admit . I'm always the wise and mature in our group of three , elena was the innocent and kind-hearted , caroline was the bubbly and social , but sometimes I let my inner teenage girl come to the surface , and especially when a handsome guy is in the picture

she laughed as she nodded " I told you so " and we stood as we watched the two brothers on the otherside of the room .

**damon's POV**

"what the hell is wrong with you stefan " I began , it wasn't a way to treat girls , but this was stefan that we're talking about .

"what the hell is wrong with me ? did you see her eyes ? she was going to murder me " he said defending himself , and to be honest I totally understand , she was boiling with anger and she looked scary . but that doesn't excuse the way he humiliated her

"okay stefan here is what you're going to do now , you are going to appologize to elena for being both late and rude , then , you're going to ask her to dance with you and I will keep mrs bonnie busy " I said matter-of-factly

"Damon , I won't dance with elena even if my life depended on it , even if you stab me and set me on fire , no " he said in defy , with that arrogant look of his , but 5 years of raising this brat tought me to the right way to break his big ego

"okay then , I think you don't need you x-box anymore " it was by far the most effective way to make stefan do something

"you can't do that damon , what kind of monster are you " he whined

"oh I sure can , i'm still your legal guardian last time I checked , so , you'll be stuck with me for some time big boy " there's no need for this conversation to go further , I won . the only thing stronger than stefan's big ego is his love for his X-box

"fine , I will dance with that nerd "

"manners , stefan , and don't forget to be a gentleman , like your incestors " and then I literally dragged him with me as we made our way through the crowded hall to find the two girls chatting with a group of their friends . I looked to stefan urging him to do what he was supposed to do , so he swollowed and looked at elena

"miss gilbert , can you honor me with this dance " and he offered his hand . elena was clearly surprised and she didn't know what to do so she looked at bonnie to ask for support

eventually she accepted his offer and he lead the way through the crowd to the center where couples were dancing some romantic song I didn't recognize

**stefan's POV **

okay , by far this was the silliest and most cruel thing damon has ever done to me , thanks to him I was going to dance with elena . my hands were shaking as I was holding her hand , leading the way to find an empty spot on the dance floor since it was filled with love birds hugging and cuddling and doing god-knows what , each was lost in his own world . I put my hands on her waist and I felt her tense , she looked so nervous since it was probably her first time dancing , I never missed a single founder's day party and I never saw her on the dance floor .

"relax gilbert , just move with the rythme" I whispered in her ears as I held her hand tight and we started to move together in harmony , as if we were born to do this . her eyes were avoiding mine , trying to look at any direction but my gaze was fixed on her face , she looked beautiful , yet different . she wasn't elena I know with her staight hair and wide printed shirts , that girl was sweet and free , comfortable in her own skin and she isn't any less beautiful than this girl .this is another side of elena , more mature , more feminine but it's still a side of her .

she finally noticed that I'm looking at her , so she looked back , straight into my eyes and my heart was racing , I couldn't tear my gaze away and I bet that she couldn't either, because we kept staring at each other while our bodies came closer and moved automtically with the music that I no longer can distinguish , all I hear is the sound of her racing breath and all I can see is her big brown eyes . the world around us disappeared along with its people and music and my brother who was eyeing us both from the other side of the room . we kept dancing for a long time and the songs changed one after another , but we were still in that weird trance , too close yet too far away . my body wanted to melt inside of her and my hands were urging to tough every inch of her body , but my mind wanted to run away as far as he could and I stood right in the middle , unable to come closer nor to run away . the music stopped but it took us a while to realize , and then each of us stepped back , breathing heavily and for the first time in my life , I didn't know what to say .

**elena's POV **

that feeling I couldn't recognize , was it just me being nervous ? how can I feel so heavy yet so light , as if I was flying between clouds . I lost my sense of time and space , I forgot where was I and with who , this is stefan we're talking about , two weeks before we were mortal enemies and at this moment I'm magically hypnotised while looking into his emerlad eyes . wasn't I mad at him just minutes ago ?

when I finally realized that the music stopped i stepped back and so did he , he remained silent for a while , and I realized he felt it too . that urge to come closer until you disapear inside of him. finally I spoke to lighten the tensed mood

"well you're quite a dancer salvatore boy " , he smiled at the complement and he replied

" you're not bad yourself gilbert " and we looked around to find bonnie and damon engaged in a conversation , they looked very comfoartable with each other's company so I said to stefan

"I guess bonnie and damon liked each other " he nodded in agreement

" oh yeah , i won't be surpried if he asked her for a date , I mean did you see the way he looked at her "

" yeah , and when bonnie smiled , she doesn't smile like that often and especially to a guy , I say let's leave them "

"you want to do a walk in the moon light " he suggested , it was a great idea but , we together , alone , no thanks

"maybe another time " I said and he looked disappointed , but taking a hint wasn't stefan's biggest virtue

" oh come on elena , I know you are helplessly poetic and the view of the full moon shinning on the lake is truly exceptional " he was trying so hard to convince me , and succeeding . besides like I said , maybe we should leave damon and bonnie alone for a while , who knows , waybe he will melt the ice layer around her heart .

I took my coat as we both left the mansion ,the air was fresh but not too cold , it was a lovely night and sky was breathtaking with all the stars thrown all over it . we walked silently towards the lake and it kind of reminded me of the walks that the original stefan used to do with miss pierce . for some reason i'm constantly thinking about the end of that story , from what stefan , well the current one said , it will be tragic so i'm really curious . I wanted to ask stefan to give the journals to me so that I can satisfy my curiousity but I admit , it's much more intersting reading it with stefan , and especially with those conversations we used to had about the story .

we both sat on the grass , although we were both wearing some fancy clothes but it didn't matter , the view of the lake was to beautiful for us to just take a quick look and leave , we had to sit and enjoy every moment of it .

we remained silent for a while before he spoke

" hey elena , I'm sorry about what I said earlier " and he looked at me , his eyes looked dark and his hair shone under the moon light , he looked so different in this light

"you should stop doing things you'll have to appologize for them " I already forgot about what he said , I mean we spent years making those kind of comments about each other , why would it change now ?

he smiled warmly and said " so we are still friends "

" stefan , we know each other for like what , 12 years , since kindergarden and we hated each other , and we never ever left any opportunity to piss each other off , do you think two weeks will be enough for both of us to forget all of that and start over , like they say old habbits die hard " I smiled at him and he smiled back , his eyes filled with warmth and gratefullness .

for the rest of the evening we talked about almost every thing ,his life , my life , brothers and family -alive and dead - which was hard for both of us and we felt both pain and pleasure remembering the ones that lest us behind . after that night I came with a conclusion , stefan salvatore is one big child that will never grow up . he might be the cool jock on the outside but he admitted that he was obssessed with videogames , and that he likes to play all the time and write in his journals or read books, to say I was surprised would be an understatement because I never thought he would even come 10 meters close to a book . he said that damon is the one who made him like books ,when he was depressed after his parents death , it was a way to take the pain away and he drowned himself in it . I talked about myself too , about my obssessing with any form of story telling from TV shows to reading , and that the source of inspiration was my father who was a writer and about my secret dream to become to become a writer as well .

the time passed by so fast and next thing we knew was bonnie and damon looking for us to leave as the party is about to end , we pulled them both and we made them sit with us as well , while stefan and I were exchanging knowing looks . bonnie and damon had undenible sexual tension toward each other, and it's funny how the two were so oblivious because they acted so casual .

then damon and stefan excused themselves after sometimes , they had offered to give us a ride home but bonnie already had her car so we said that we were fine . as bonnie and I were in her car I kept staring at her for a long time

"what ? " she finally let out

"spill the beans " patience wasn't my biggest treats and so is keeping my nose out of other people's business

"what beans elena " ok now , is my best friend that naive , or she is a hell of an actress

"bonnie , the beans of the lovely night you spent with a certain blue eyes salvatore "

"ah damon , oh wellllllll" she said stretching her words to tease me " oh come on bonnie "

"okay , we talked most of the time , he was charming by the way , he said that he is single and he is taking care of his father's company "

"so rich boy huh , so what did you tell him about yourself "

"just about my studies , my hopes in the future , my family "

"soooo , nothing further" I was desperate to see her in a relation , after she broke up with kol who treated her like garbage she was never the same , she was all closed up and she hated being around the opposite sex so I was happy that she accepted damon's company

"well he invited me to have coffee with him one day , he gave me his number "

"then call him "

"not now elena , it's late , and besides I don't know whether I want to open my heart to someone yet "

"bonnie it's not like all boys will be like your jerk ex , besides who said anything about dating , you will just spend some time with an extremly hansome guy while drinking coffee and maybe having some pan cake " she smiled at the idea but she shook it as she continued to drive

"and what about you , elena , I thought you hated stefan , yet you looked all cosy and romantic while you two were dancing " as much as _I hate_d it , I found myself blushing at the thought of stefan's hands around my waist and of his strong chest against mine , but I was too stubborn to admit that

"I can't just refuse to dance with him it would be rude " it was a pethatic attempt to explain myself but bonnie was smarter than that

"elena you kept dancing even when the music stopped , admit that you feel attracted to him"

"only when you accept damon's invitation "

"no"

"then no "

she stopped infront of my house as she looked at me ,

"listen it's late now , we'll talk tomorrow "

"you'd better think about it bonnie , you need to move on " she smiled to assure me that she will and then we hugged each other

as I got out the car I waved her goodbye and got in the house hoping that she will accept eventually .


End file.
